The Business Side
by leatherlotus
Summary: Episode 22 AU. What if Houtarou actually said the words he wanted to say? Fluff.
1. Little birds can remember

**Hyouka Episode 22 AU  
Little birds can remember.**

"By the way…"

He hadn't even really thought about it that much. It was just an idea. Maybe it wasn't even a good idea. Thinking back, it was the best decision he'd ever made, and if he could go back, he'd do it all over again without changing a thing. But if he'd thought rationally at the moment, he wouldn't have said anything. He'd probably just brush it off and make a comment about the weather. It was April then but it was a bit chilly for the time of year, so he would've said something along the lines of "It's getting pretty cold", and happily return to his grey-colored high school life.

"About the business side that you gave up on…"

He actually doubted himself at this point. Never in his young life had he felt anything like this, how could he know it was that one special feeling? Images of Satoshi on that snowy night flashed through his head. If only he could ask him, if only he could know for sure that this was what he thought it was, if only his theories would be confirmed, if only… But no; he was on his own. He couldn't wait until later to ask Satoshi, it had to be now. If he'd wait any longer, he might never find the courage to do anything like this ever again.

"…How about I take care of that for you?"

A strange, almost magnetic power forced him to turn around. A sudden gust of wind whipped up a haze of fallen cherry blossom petals, and had he looked around him then, it probably would've been a wonderful sight; but at that moment, he really couldn't have cared less. There she stood, her ethereal beauty mesmerizing as ever. Screw the scenery. His eyes were for her and for her only. Her hair smooth like silk and black as the night, her skin pale as the moon, although a slight hint of pink was forming on her cheeks, and oh, her _eyes_. Those deep pools of amethyst that could compel him to do anything, however tedious or time-consuming it might be, those beautiful, shimmering-

He knew that shimmer. It meant trouble.

"E-Excuse me?" she stammered.

_Good going, Houtarou. _He mentally kicked himself for being so stupid. _Yeah, that was real smooth and all, but what are you going to do now, huh?_

"C-could you… perhaps… repeat that?"

She wanted him to do _what_?! No. No, no, no, **no**. He was most definitely not going to say that again. What was he even thinking when he said it? Oh, that's right. He wasn't. He was an idiot for even trying. What was he expecting, anyway? That she'd swoon at the thought of them getting married? That she'd say 'A thousand times yes!' and beg him to please, _please _be with her forever, and promise her to never leave her side? Pathetic. He was pathetic. He scowled in disgust.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Oreki-san, I don't mean to be a nuisance…"

His scowl dissipated within nanoseconds. He really was an idiot, how could he make her blame herself for what he did? He gulped down a heavy lump in his throat that he didn't notice was there before.

"It's okay, Chitanda." He tried his best to be encouraging and squeezed out a soft smile. "Go on."

"Please do forgive me, but… Well, you see, the wind suddenly rushed in, and I couldn't really hear you… Or, rather, I did hear you, but I- I think I misheard… No, I'm sure I misheard. Could you please repeat what you were saying?"

She had to be kidding, right? He knew she had excellent hearing. There was no way she misheard, he was sure of it. She heard him, but she didn't want to believe it. Truth be told, neither did he. Maybe he should just leave it at that. Yeah, that was probably for the best.

"… Nevermind. It was nothing important. C'mon, let's go." He turned around and started to walk away. It was that easy, he just had to walk out.

"**Oreki-san!**"

She was right behind him in a heartbeat, tugging at the right side of his coat with both her petite hands. She let go just as fast though, as if she'd gotten an electric shock. Was he static? He turned back slightly to look at her, prepared to face those violet orbs that would pierce through his very soul, but he found himself looking at the young girl's forehead instead. Apparently, she found the hem of her shirt very interesting, because she was staring at it intently and fumbling – _fumbling _– with it. She could be so obvious sometimes…

It had to be now.

He kicked down his bike stand and turned around to face her completely. Something inside him had snapped. He didn't know if it was adrenaline, dopamine or both pumping through his veins with every beat of his racing heart, but he never felt so powerful, so confident, so _good_. To hell with reserving energy – right now, he could do anything. He would walk all around town five times, he would take on the entire school in a fist fight, or…

He raised his hands and put them on her shoulders, softly, so as not to startle her, but she still let out a small gasp as she looked up at him. Purple locked with green, and he could see the surprise in her eyes, the doubt, the disbelief – the anticipation.

It had to be now.

Before he even realized what he was doing, he closed his eyes and swooped down with one swift movement. The smell of her jasmine shampoo enveloped him, her taste driving him completely insane. He reveled in the feeling of her soft, plump lips against his own, pressing down harder in a relentless effort to be closer to her. But he had heard her squeal as their lips made contact, felt her shoulders go stiff under his hands. He miscalculated. This was a mistake. He loosened his grip on her, slowly breaking away, trying so, _so _hard to not lean down again and-

But his lips wouldn't come off hers. She was fisting his shirt in a desperate attempt to keep him as close to her as possible. She slowly raised her small hands to hold his face, bringing him down and pressing her mouth more firmly onto his. He completely lost whatever control he had. Trick of the mind or not, he didn't care. His hands slid from her shoulders so he could wrap his arms around her waist and pull her flush against him. It felt like his entire body was on fire, little bolts of lightning shooting straight through his skin everywhere they made contact.

All of a sudden, she pulled away. His eyes shot open with horror. Had he done something wrong? Had he gone too far? No, wait, maybe it _was _just a trick of the mind. This wouldn't be the first time his imagination had gotten the better of him. Could that really be it? But at the sight of her heart-shaped face, he soon calmed down, a sense of victory washing over him.

She was smiling.

* * *

"Oreki-san?"

He had been completely caught up in his memories. He must've looked like some sort of maniac, smiling so suddenly without any direct reason. Only she could make him do that. She would be the first and the last that could ever make him do that.

"What is it, Chitanda?" he replied without looking up from his book.

"I should be asking you that, Oreki-san. You're smiling all of a sudden… This is unlike you, you have me worried."

He looked at her from across the table in their club room. A frown had set across her face, her lips in a small pout, arms crossed over her chest. She really was worried.

"No, it's nothing," he chuckled, gazing out the window. A small shiver made its way up his spine.

"It's getting pretty cold, isn't it?"

"No, Oreki-san." she answered with a soft smile. "It's already spring."

* * *

**A/N**  
**Oh god, I'm usually on the reading side, not the writing side, and I think I should keep it that way. I was just thinking about what would've happened if Houtarou actually said what he wanted to say in episode 22. Seriously, I can't deal with Hyouka being over, it was so, so so so so sooooooooooo good. Definitely one of the better anime of this year! The plotwriting was so astonishingly good; I don't think I've ever seen anything like it before. Ngl I've seen a LOT.**

**I even had this whole idea of making this a multi-chapter thing with references to Sherlock Holmes mysteries and a plot and angst and fluff and everything a fanfiction needs. But I think I'll keep it at this.**

**Unless, of course, this would miraculously get some reviews… Which it totally does not deserve, it's just a drabble. But it would be very nice, not to mention completely impossible.**

**I apologize for any grammar/spelling mistakes, English is my second language.**

**Thank you SO much for reading! Peace out~**


	2. The Red Haired League, Act One

**The Red-Haired League, Act One**

* * *

"Oreki-san!"

Houtarou looked up from his book, Satoshi from his manga. A distressed Chitanda had stumbled into the Geology Prep room, panting heavily as she held on to the door post. A sparkle could be seen in her eyes, a familiar sparkle that both boys knew far too well. The young heiress of the Chitanda family was curious about something.

"Something... has happened!" she exclaimed, gasping for air.

"Alright, I'll look into it." Houtarou answered. He could see from the corner of his eye that Satoshi was now glaring at him with wide eyes from across the table.

"Ah... but I have to run... some errands first," she managed, still not having caught her breath. "Please... excuse me... I'll be back later!" And with a slam of the door, she was gone, returning peace and quiet to the room.

"...What in the world was that?" Satoshi asked, breaking the silence.

"Who knows. You tell me." Houtarou muttered, concentrating on his book again.

"No, I don't mean that. I mean _you_." he spoke, causing Houtarou to look up and cock an eyebrow at him.

"Normally you at least _try _to get out of helping her, but not this time. You agreed right away. What's going on?" he inquired.

Images of falling cherry blossom petals and the scent of jasmine crossed Houtarou's mind.

"Nothing." he smiled, ignoring any further comments or questions from his best friend.

* * *

"Sorry for taking so long!" Chitanda chirped as she slid open the door and entered the club room, followed shortly by Mayaka. Satoshi's eyes narrowed slightly at the sight of her.

"It's okay, Chitanda-san. So, tell us. What seems to be the problem?" he asked merrily, plastering his trademark smile on his face.

"Well..." Chitanda started, looking at her dearest and most precious friend, silently encouraging her.

"Yeah... I, um-" Mayaka tried, but stopped and stared at her Fuku-chan. Or actually, he wasn't quite hers, not officially at least. _Maybe that's exactly the problem_, Houtarou wondered. An uncomfortable silence settled over the four members of the Classics Club.

"Uhm, Mayaka-san... If you don't tell him, he won't be able to help you..." Chitanda said worriedly, softly reaching for her friend's shoulder. Mayaka jumped at the sudden contact, waking up from her thoughts.

"Ah! Yeah, you're right." Her gaze lingered with Satoshi for a few more moments before she switched her attention to Houtarou.

"Something has been stolen from me." she stated clearly.

Houtarou stared back at her, almost indifferently.

"...A manga book." she explained hesitantly, glancing at Satoshi once more. "I promised the president of the Manga Society I'd show it to her. I went to the bathroom, and when I came back, it was gone."

"Hum, that really is a problem. Did you look for it?" Satoshi asked innocently, choosing to ignore the obvious tension.

"Of course I looked for it, you dummy!" she snapped at him, clearing her throat shortly after and regaining her composure. "I looked everywhere- it was one of my favourite books. But I just couldn't find it! I went back home, thinking I'd probably remember where I put it later, but when I searched again the next day, I still couldn't find it. I asked the other members if they'd seen it anywhere. As soon as the president heard about this she offered to help me look, and we all ended up searching for it together. Even so, we found nothing."

"That certainly is very strange..." Satoshi remarked.

"I agree, Fukube-san, but it's not nearly the strangest part!" Chitanda almost screamed with excitement.

_Great._

"Chii-chan is right," Mayaka continued, "It gets weirder. The next day, I got a very strange text from a number I've never seen before... It says," She paused shortly to fish her phone out of her bag. She flipped it open and pressed a few keys.

"It says, 'I have what you seek. Today, you may retrieve it where young love first sprouts its wings, as the sun bids this world farewell in his chariot of gold.'" she read from her screen.

A short silenced ensued. Houtarou could practically hear everyone's brains cracking, their hearts racing, trying to decipher the meaning of this message.

_Too easy_.

"And?" he sighed. He might as well get this over with as soon as possible.

"Ah. I was hoping you could tell me... about the first part. I think I know what the last part means. This person wants to meet me at sunset." Mayaka said.

"I think so too," Chitanda joined in eagerly, "'the sun bids this world farewell in a chariot of gold'... This definitely means a sunset. There is a Japanese poet who is well-known for this odd way of describing the skies. We recently discussed his works in class!" She clasped her hands together in pure joy. Her excellent memory never failed to surprise.

"That sounds about right." Satoshi nodded.

"Good, then we all agree." Houtarou added. He didn't really remember discussing anything of the sort, but he figured a sunset could be the only possible meaning of these strange words. "But you say that text was sent to you the second day after you lost your book. Was that today?"

"Uhm, no," she replied, scowling. "But we don't have to worry about that. I've been getting this text every three or four days, really creepy. That's actually the reason why I talked to Chii-chan about it in the first place. I think we can still meet him, we just have to wait until the next day I get the text. I got the last one yesterday, so we still have some time until the next one."

"Right. So about the first part..."

Everyone held their breaths like some sort of revelation was coming, a moment suprême. They all looked at him expectantly, Chitanda more so than anyone else. He took a moment to appreciate her beautiful, hypnotizing eyes, gazing intently at him, her small hands clenched into fists, the way she stood on her toes, as if straining to hear what he had to say, her long, dark hair cascading down her shoulders, the soft curve of her rosy lips...

_Not good._

"Satoshi." He said suddenly, shifting his gaze outside, keeping his eyes fixed on the setting sun.

"Yeah?" his best friend replied with a smile. He knew the green-eyed boy was onto something.

"Purely hypothetically speaking," Houtarou started, still not making eye contact. He tried his very best to sound nonchalant. He hated to admit it. He hated it so much that he wanted to plant his face into the desk in front of him, scream at the top of his lungs out of pure frustration, but he wanted to impress Chitanda. He'd put up a little show. "Suppose you were a girl, and you wanted to confess your love."

"What?!" Mayaka blurted out. "What does _that_have to do with anything? Oreki, this really means a lot to me. Please just try-"

"Hold on, Mayaka." Satoshi smirked. "Yes, Houtarou. Suppose I was a girl."

"I'd really like to know as well, Oreki-san." Chitanda interrupted him. "I don't see what being a girl has to do with this at all. Do you have reason to believe the culprit is a girl?" Houtarou noticed she avoided the confessing part. She spoke very seriously, trying to get to the bottom of this case. If Chitanda valued anything more than her family duties or good manners, it was Mayaka.

_Or me._

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but the last time you saw this manga, you were at the Manga Society, right?" Houtarou asked, shaking off that last thought and turning to look straight at the victim.

"Yeah." she nodded.

"Then it's more than likely that someone from the Manga Society took it, don't you think?"

"...Yeah, I guess. I hadn't really thought about that..." she replied after a short silence, a slight frown forming on her face.

"And the Manga Society. All the members are girls, aren't they?"

"Hold on! When I told them I lost it, they all helped me look for it!" she suddenly burst out. "Are you saying it's one of them?!"

"Wouldn't you help out if you were the culprit? Not helping would be more suspicious. Besides, she has your phone number." Houtarou answered, slightly raising his voice.

"Alright, alright! Calm down, you two!" Satoshi intervened when he noticed the dread on Chitanda's face. "Mayaka, I know you're worked up about this, but you have to trust Houtarou. He only wants to help." He smiled widely at her, earning a crimson red blush in return. Houtarou couldn't believe it. Satoshi was actually taking advantage of Mayaka's feelings. He'd never do that to Chitanda...

"I- I- I know that." she stuttered.

"Well then, Houtarou," Satoshi said with satisfaction, "I am a young girl in love."

"Right," the green-eyed boy answered, clearing his throat. "And you want to confess. Where would you do it?"

"Well, I guess if I were a girl, I'd slip a letter into my beloved's locker."

"That you would. But what would the letter say?"

"Hm..." the walking database pondered, letting his imagination run wild. "Well, I don't think I'd confess my undying love on a piece of paper. I'd want to do it in person." he thought out loud, looking down and putting his hand to his chin. "...Are we talking clichés here?" He looked up at his best friend.

"Exactly."

"So 'where young love first sprouts it wings'..." Mayaka started.

"Ah! I know now!" Chitanda putting her hands together as if she could trap her thoughts between them. It was a small gesture, it meant very little. But it meant the world to him, and more. She always did that. He loved it when she did that. It meant he did well, it meant he had satisfied her.

"She wants to meet you behind the school building!"

* * *

**A/N**

**First and foremost, I want to express my deepest gratitude to everyone who REVIEWED the first chapter! You have encouraged me to start writing this chapter, and you kept me going every time I wanted to just give up and leave. THANK YOU SO MUCH, Gregg Kygrykhon, Maro, momoxtoshiro, AliPieRainbows, Anonymous Alice, PrincessChii and lovelysickness! This chapter wouldn't be here without you! Speaking of this chapter...**

**WHAT HAVE I DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOONE. Ohmygawsh it's not like the first chapter AT ALL! There's no fluff! I tried to squeeze a few moments in there but it didn't really work out, huh... Writing is harder than I thought it'd be lol. Now I know why there's so little high-quality fics out there. I'm so sorry, but I want to get this plot right (I added 'Mystery' to the genres). It's based on Arthur Donan Coyle's "The Red-Haired League", for those of you who know it. If you don't know it, DON'T READ IT RIGHT NOW it will only spoil things haha.**

**I promise you, I swear it will get better. Fluff will come. It is never far away. I can't say for sure if it will be in the next chapter, though.**

**Now that we're talking about fluff, you might've noticed this, but there's none for Mayaka and Satoshi. Unlike in the series, Mayaka is hurt pretty bad by Satoshi's rejection, and it might be a bit OOC but I've chosen to do this for a reason. I'd rather have them be uncomfortable together, because even though it's bad chemistry, it _is_ chemistry, and I need something to work with and mold into rainbows and sunsets so they can sprout wings and fly to a magical castle in the sky where they eat clouds with spoons and use stars as ice for their moonlight punch forever and ever and ever.**

**Thank you so much for reading! Peace~**

**PS If there's something, anything, that you didn't like about this chapter, please let me know. I'm trying real hard to get the characters right, so if you think anyone is OOC, I'd be more than happy to hear from you.**

**PPS Chapter three is now under construction! I'm a nice person so I'll give you a small preview!**

"Ah, I completely forgot!" Chitanda gasped suddenly, putting down the book she was reading. "There's something I've been meaning to tell you, Oreki-san. It's about the Doll Festival..." Her porcelain skin flushed with a light shade of pink.  
**  
Hahaha.**


	3. The Red Haired League, Act Two

**The Red-Haired League, Act Two**

* * *

"Okay, so I go out to meet her behind the school at sunset. Well then, that's that." Mayaka said, satisfied.

"Not quite," Satoshi interrupted. "What are you going to do when you get there? We're going with you." Mayaka jumped at the idea, but settled down quickly and seriously considered it for a few moments.

"...No. I have to do this alone." she decided.

"But Mayaka-san!" Chitanda tried, eager to help her friend in her time of need.

"I'm sorry Chii-chan, but I can't take you with me." Mayaka smiled bitterly. "She stole something that was very dear to me... I can't simply forgive her for doing that. Things might get..." She paused shortly. "Things might get ugly."

"Okay then." Satoshi nodded understandingly. "You'll go alone. But at least let us know what happened when all is said and done."

She agreed silently.

"Well, I guess that's it for today, huh?" he smiled, turning to Houtarou.

"I guess," he replied. "Let's go home."

* * *

-_a few days later-_

"Ah, I completely forgot!" Chitanda gasped suddenly, putting down the book she was reading. "There's something I've been meaning to tell you, Oreki-san. It's about the Doll Festival..." Her porcelain skin flushed with a light shade of pink.

He almost fell out of his chair. They hadn't really talked about that day after they... kissed. In fact, they hadn't really talked at all. Not just the two of them, at least. He was actually afraid of touching the subject, scared it would make things awkward between them. He really did want to talk about it, somehow he felt that things had to be cleared up, had to be put into words. He was glad she took the initiative, but...

Did it have to be in front of Satoshi?

"The Doll Festival! That parade sure was nice. I wish I'd taken some pictures though, Houtarou looked absolutely ridiculous!" the amber-eyed teen laughed heartily.

"Y-yes, regarding t-that..." her beautiful features turned completely crimson as she tried her very best to keep talking. Houtarou couldn't believe it. She wasn't actually doing this _because _Satoshi was here, was she?

"K-Konatsu-san's son c-called..." she stuttered. "H-he told me he took some pictures, and he sells them on his website." Her voice was less shaky now.

_Thank god. _Houtarou had never felt so relieved in his life. He wasn't really sure if he could deal with Satoshi knowing about them. Not yet, anyway. Things were already weird and confusing, he didn't need Satoshi meddling with their business on top of that. Yes, he kissed her. Yes, she kissed him back. Yes, it all went better than he had expected. But he also sort of... Well, he basically proposed to her, didn't he? Things were just a big mess, and he hadn't really figured out how to deal with it yet.

"They're not particularly expensive," she continued, focusing on Satoshi. "But he wants to give each of us a free set anyway. When I asked him why, all he would tell me was 'Because the Oreki kid did so well'... And he simply laughed after that."

She glanced at Houtarou but averted her eyes immediately. He felt a slight pang in his chest. Honestly, he was glad their feelings were out in the open, but if it meant she was going to be like this, so overly aware of both him and herself, he'd rather go back to the way things were.

"That's awfully nice of him." Satoshi remarked with a smirk. He didn't sound surprised at all, and Houtarou knew why. Chitanda had been walking in front of him the whole time, so she had no idea, but anyone who had seen his face that day would know what the brown-haired man meant. It didn't matter. He was happy he'd be getting the pictures, happier than he wanted to admit.

"H-he told me he s-sent them all to m-my house," she stammered, "I'll bring them along when they are d-delivered."

All three of them looked up when the door slid open and a sullen Mayaka came through. Defeat was written all over her face, as well as confusion.

"No." Satoshi whispered, almost inaudibly.

"Mayaka-san! How did it go?!" Chitanda cried out.

Mayaka looked at each of them, one by one, her eyes giving away how sad and lost she was. Houtarou wasn't a people person, but he could tell she was really upset and on the verge of tears. He tried to work out what could be so shocking, but he figured she'd tell them any moment now.

"No one showed up." she said, pulling her shoulders up and balling her hands into fists as she looked at the floor.

None of them really knew what to say. Chitanda, completely horrified, looked to Houtarou for some sort of explanation of this turn of events. Satoshi just sat still, as if frozen, staring blankly at nothing. Mayaka sniffed, clenching her fists tighter.

"M-maybe we're getting this all wrong." she muttered softly, forcing out a weak smile. "Maybe 'where true love first sprouts its wings' isn't behind the school, like Oreki said."

"No." Chitanda's voice rang through the room, clear like the sound of a bell. "I have complete faith that Oreki-san's theory is correct. There is no doubt that his reasoning is right."

Seriously? She wouldn't look him in the eye, but she'd testify how much she trusted him so confidently? He really didn't get her at all, this was all so messed up. But he loved every second of it. That's exactly what she was, a mystery. The only mystery he would never be able to solve. Satoshi cleared his throat.

"A-hum. I agree with Chitanda-san. The back of the school building, we can be sure about that. But maybe we're looking at the _wrong _school building." Everyone turned their attention to him.

"I mean, we have more than one. Maybe we just have to try a different building." he explained. "Behind which one did you wait, Mayaka?" he asked, looking straight at her. She looked away instantly.

_Just like her._

"The eastern one. That's where we have most of our classes, so I thought it'd be that one." she answered, her shoulders no longer tensed up as they were, although she was still avoiding eye contact.

"Then maybe, we just have to try the western building next time." he smiled brightly, pleased he could come up with something Houtarou didn't think of.

"Hold on a second here." The green-eyed boy stood up, producing a soft scraping sound as his chair was shoved backwards. "Where exactly did you wait, Ibara? Let's take a look."

* * *

"I was right over..." Mayaka shuffled from left to right more than once, trying to determine her exact position. "...Here."

"Let's switch." She stepped aside as Houtarou took her place. He took a good look, spinning around a few times before closing his eyes and fumbling with the lock of hair that always fell down the middle of his forehead. He opened his eyes and spun around once more, his eyes suddenly growing wide.

"Ibara," he called out, trying to sound casual. "Is there anything special you've been doing lately?"

"...I'm not sure what you mean." she replied, frowning slightly.

"At the Manga Society." Houtarou specified. "Is there anything going on there?"

"Hmm..." She crossed her arms over her chest and put one finger to her lips, mentally checking off all recent activities. "Well, there is one thing. There's this contest coming up, me and a few other members are submitting our works. Not all members are participating, though. I can't really think of anything else." she answered, now slowly tapping her mouth.

"No, that will do fine. I think I have it."

Chitanda gasped, covering her mouth as her eyes widened. He could see tiny stars of wonder sparkling in her eyes, begging him to please share his theories with the rest of them. How could he not?

"We weren't wrong. The culprit wants you to come out behind the school building, _this_ building. She just doesn't have any intention of meeting you here." he started off.

"B-but... How? Why?" He could see her ruby eyes glazing over with tears, Chitanda gasping in awe yet again.

"No! If she lied about meeting me out here, how do we know she even has the book? She could be lying about that too!" she shouted, a single tear making its way down her face.

"Don't worry, she definitely has the book. And I'm sure we can get it back." he answered calmly. He noticed Satoshi tensing up.

"Oreki-san! Please tell us what we can do to retrieve the book!" Chitanda cried out. She took his left hand with both her own, squeezing it softly. Her face didn't come as close as it usually did, and it annoyed him immensely. He just wanted to wrap his arms around her and... But no, not in front of the others.

"It's very simple." he replied briskly. "Next time Ibara gets the text, the two of you go to this spot at sunset and wait right here." A short silence.

"Is... that all?" she asked, searching his eyes for more clues, her grip on him weakening slightly. He took his chance and yanked his hand to freedom.

"Yes, that's all. It's getting pretty late. I'm going home." He stooped down to grab his bag and walked off. As soon as he was at a safe distance, he sighed heavily. He did well, didn't he? That had to be the hardest trial he'd ever faced. It took every sliver of willpower he could find to battle this feeling, this _burning_, this desire. That was close, he knew he couldn't have controlled himself much longer, even if Satoshi and Ibara were there. If he'd been there for even one more second, if he hadn't had the chance to run, he would've-

"Hold on, man." Satoshi grabbed him by the shoulder. "You might've shaken those two off, but you're not fooling me. You're going to tell me everything."

"Look, Satoshi, I really don't want to do this." Houtarou sighed. "I promise I'll explain everything later, but not now. I'm tired." He shrugged off the hand on his shoulder and continued to walk away.

"Come on, Houtarou! Tell me what's going on!" Satoshi begged, sounding almost desperate. He quickly caught up to the taller boy and settled with walking next to him.

"My energy levels are beyond low, Satoshi." Houtarou sighed once more. "And I'm not going to run around to find this book. I'll tell you the basic idea, but you have to promise to help me out." He stopped to stretch and yawn and looked his companion straight in the eye, spotting a small twinkle of determination.

"...Fine. You got yourself a deal. The great Fukube Satoshi shall provide you with his outstanding services." he huffed, taking a slightly wider stance, putting his hands to his hips and raising his chin up in the air.

"Okay, here's what I want you to do..."

* * *

**A/N**

**Konatsu. Konetsu. Ko-something. I don't care, and neither do you. Moving on!**

**Still no real fluff, but I hope you could feel the tension. The empress and her most loyal servant shared a true love's kiss, but the happy ending is yet far away! Houtarou is very slightly OOC in this chapter, but he is a different person now that he actually kissed Chitanda. Serious situation is serious. I probably shouldn't have used the word 'desire' though. I'll have you know that I have no intentions of going M.**

**I hope this plot is not messing with your mind too much. I assure you I thought of none of this myself haha. Purely following the basic Red-Haired League plotline. Before you bash me about being a copycat, please. I'm not saying this is my own idea, it's Arthur Donan Coyle's. I'm giving him credit, not hauling with the honor. His stories are adapted very often, people even make money with it and fangirls all over the world praise them for doing so (there's that British series Sherlock, I highly recommend it. They gave credit to ADC as well, even though they didn't really have to, I mean it was pretty obvious)**

**I noticed I have more views than visitors. People are re-reading this? lol well you'd better, because as you may or may not have noticed, I updated the last chapter with a little snippet of this. I'll probably update this chapter as well in 2~3 says.**

**Thanks again for everyone who reviewed! I won't mention reviewers in the A/N anymore but I'll reply through PM from now on.**

**Love and peace!**


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